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Made in the Middle: exhibition at Bilston Craft Gallery

One of my favourite little venues has done it again. The Bilston Craft Gallery has decided to showcase a travelling exhibition which brings together a wealth of talent from across the Midlands. Made in the Middle is the seventh in the series of this touring exhibition by Craftspace.

The exhibition features cutting edge work by contemporary makers from the East and West Midlands across a wide range of media, exploring key themes such as- how are craftspeople embracing digital technologies in their practice and what are the varied pathways in which artists have taken to use craft as a career?

English Hedgerow plate by Andrew Tanner and Unanico

Made in the Middle is an open exhibition held every three years, produced by Craftspace, and selected by a panel. This year the theme is Pathways to Craft: exploring different alternative ways to approach making, including innovative digital processes and various career routes.

Plate by Gill Wilson

The aim is to focus on alternative ways to approach making. This is shown through the variety of makers’ experiences and the different routes taken to get to this point in their practice. Alongside this, the show explains through the experiences of young people participating in the Apprenticeships in the Making project, the possibility of using an apprenticeship as a potential way into a career. Made in the Middle will also demonstrate the developments in craft made with the use of digital technologies. New processes and technologies open up possibilities for makers to push the boundaries of their chosen medium and explore new ways of working.

V and A Party by Anna Collette Hunt

There are 35 makers participating which gives a wide variety of different mediums and techniques. The exhibition highlights the career path of the makers, reflecting the different routes taken and then looks to the future which will hopefully inspire and encourage young artists to explore craft. I love how this exhibition focuses upon the career stories of the makers, and it is such a positive experience to showcase this work in such a manner. This is the sort of exhibition which I would have loved to have seen just before beginning Art School as it would have given me such hope and encouragement to pursue art.

Chains and Keys by Mandana Thompson

The exhibition is running at the Bilston Craft Gallery from the 23rd of March to the 11th of May 2013.